


Group Therapy

by HazelNeedsSomeHelp



Category: Doom Patrol (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Group Therapy, Like lots of it, M/M, Other, also ritas repressed, cliff had a bad childhood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:00:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25818478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HazelNeedsSomeHelp/pseuds/HazelNeedsSomeHelp
Summary: The Doom Patrol teamed up with Maura Lee Karupt to have an LGBT-themed group therapy session. What wasn't expected from the session was Cliff being sad.+THIS FIC TALKS ABOUT ABUSE/HOMOPHOBIA+
Relationships: Cliff Steele/Larry Trainor
Kudos: 30





	Group Therapy

**Author's Note:**

> Again, this fic has a story about abuse along with mentions of homophobia. If this makes you uncomfortable, please be careful.

"Okay, let's start." Maura Lee Karupt declared, stepping out in front of the group. Before her, in a line, were Cliff, Larry, Rita, and Jane. "Are you all ready?"

"What are we doing again?" Larry asked, sounding exhausted, as always.

"Group therapy!" Cliff cheered.

"But not just group therapy." Maura added. "LGBT group therapy."

"And…" Rita said, sticking a hand up some. "What does LGBT mean again?"

Larry sighed. "Lesbian. Gay. Bisexual. Transgender."

"So, why do we have to be here?" Jane asked.

"Because everyone here is LGBT and has trauma, and we're gonna talk about it!" Cliff explained.

"Now!" Maura piped up, quieting the group. "Let's all sit down and start talking, shall we?"

Everyone moved to sit down-- a few people on the couch, Rita on the other couch, and Maura in the single chair-- but Cliff suddenly jumped back up and ran off, yelling "I'll be back in a second!"

"What's his issue now?" Jane groaned, rolling her eyes.

Cliff came back with a small bag in his hands. He pulled pins out of it and handed a couple to each person. They all were decorated with pride flags that corresponded to everyone. Cliff excitedly stuck a couple to his jacket-- a pansexual and a nonbinary pin. Larry had a gay flag; Rita and Jane both had lesbian pins; and Maura got a trans and a bisexual pin. Maura happily stuck hers onto her glittery dress.

"Oh! What is this?" Rita asked.

"It's a pride flag, dumbass." Jane snarkily responded.

"Well, duh, I knew that." Rita gulped as she stuck the pin to her scarf.

"Cliff, you didn't have to do this." Larry said, almost heartfelt. 

"Maybe I didn't have to, but I wanted to." 

Maura straightened up in her seat. "Now, let's actually get started, hm?"

Within a matter of minutes, the therapy session had gone to hell. Rita was so far in the closet she had lost sight of the door, and broke down crying when she re-realized she was, in fact, only attracted to women. Jane switched to Hammerhead when Cliff said something stupid, and proceeded to rip the pin off her shirt and crush it. But Cliff had bought extras and replaced it when Jane returned. Larry and Maura were… Basically the only calm ones at that point. They got through their stories and traumas just fine-- or rather, as fine as two tortured souls could-- and finally, everything landed on Cliff.

"You're the last one who hasn't spoken about coming out." Maura said, locking eyes with the robot.

"Yeah." 

Everyone knew that if Cliff was still human, he'd have that dopey, 'elevator music is playing in his head right now' smile. He was… Somehow clueless that Maura Lee was egging him on to tell his story.

"She's telling you to start talking, Cliff." Larry whispered, and Cliff perked up.

"Oh! You are? Right! Ah…" He glanced around, and made a sound reminiscent of an overly dramatic gulp. "About that…"

He then jumped up and tried to run off, but Jane and Larry caught his arms and pulled him back down. He was forced back into his seat, where he let out a low whine.

Maura leaned forward in her seat, reaching out to pat Cliff's knee. "It's okay, Cliff, if you need to take a second. This is a safe space for us all, and nothing will leave this circle."

"Yeah, yeah…" Cliff nodded and closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them and started his story. "Well, uh, I don't have a good story. Mine's actually… Really bad."

Larry chuckled. "I'm sure yours can't be worse than mine."

"You never got beat up for yours." Cliff said, deadpan. "My… My dad, when he found out. It was bad, like, really fucking bad. I had, uh, I had told my mom, I trusted her. But, apparently my dad had been listening in. He kind of… Dragged me into the yard by my hair, whipped me with a cricket bat."

"Oh my god…" Rita whispered, covering her mouth.

"But it didn't stop there. Somehow the news also got around at my high school. I was bullied and taunted by everyone there, my girlfriend left me; all of that added with my dad beating me every night until I "stopped being gay" or something. He never stopped, until I moved out. Even then, he constantly called me just to tell me how much I ruined the family." 

"Eventually, I tried to hide everything. I pretended to be some straight, cis, regular guy, whatever the fuck that means." Cliff paused and sighed-- at least, it sounded like a sigh. "Kate was… The only person to know, and accept me. She called me they and said I was a good partner, and she didn't care that I liked guys, too. She was fucking amazing, but I lost her…"

"They…" Rita narrowed her eyes, turning the word over in her head. She then perked up and smiled. "Well, I think Cliff is a very good person and that they are lovely."

"And I think Cliff is a total badass and they can do anything!" Jane cheered, jumping to her feet. 

Cliff laughed softly and looked between the two. "Aw, guys! You all are awesome!"

"We all care about you, Cliff." Larry said, planting a small kiss on the robot's cheek.

"Perhaps some more than others." Maura added, with a smirk. "But yes, Cliff, we all love you and accept you for who you are. Don't let that shitty excuse of a father or all those jerks from your childhood get you down."

"You're rolling with us now, tin can." Jane said. "And we aren't that shitty."

Cliff pulled Larry and Jane into a hug-- both of which tried to escape at first, but quickly gave in-- and Maura and Rita got up to join them. After a few moments of that awkward, but comforting, group hug, everyone finally separated.

"So, should we do this again?" Larry asked, to no one in particular. 

"Honestly…" Jane said. "Yeah!"

"Same time next week?" Maura fired a question back.

"We'll be free then, assuming the world doesn't end in the meantime." Rita answered.

Maura smiled. "Then it's settled. I'll see you lovelies later."


End file.
